Mount Gretna Murder Prompts Reexamination of PA’s Protection From Abuse Law
HARRISBURG – Today, the House passed a resolution, sponsored by Rep. Mauree Gingrich (R-Lebanon), directing the Joint State Government Commission to undertake a study of Pennsylvania’s Protection from Abuse Act, following the rise in domestic violence cases leading to death, and the shooting death of her friend and constituent Stacey Pennington last summer in Mount Gretna.
According to published reports, Pennington was one of four women who had secured a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order during the past two decades against Patrick Derr, the ex-boyfriend who shot and killed her outside the Gretna Emporium gift shop, which she owned. Pennsylvania adopted the PFA Act in 1976, becoming only the second state in the country to do so. While the law has been amended and strengthened several times since then, Gingrich believes it is time to revisit it.
“The PFA Act provides some tremendously helpful – even life-saving – tools to aid victims of domestic violence, but recent events lead me to believe that it is time to take another look at the law to identify any blind spots or gaps that, if corrected, may reduce revictimization or death,” said Gingrich.
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House Resolution 735 would require the Joint State Government Commission to study the PFA Act in order to determine whether deficiencies exist that subject victims to unreasonable risk of additional harm. My resolution would also require the commission to examine the practices and procedures surrounding implementation of the law.
“Of course, no law is perfect, and no law can guarantee a victim’s absolute safety, but as legislators, it is our responsibility to continually evaluate the effectiveness of our laws and determine how we can make them better. This is particularly important when it involves the safety of our citizens,” Gingrich said.
House Resolution 735 requires the commission to present its findings and recommendations to the House within nine months.
Representative Mauree Gingrich
101st District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
dpinkham@pahousegop.com
RepGingrich.com